This invention relates to clamps, and more particularly to clamps used for mounting wire harnesses, fluid tubing and wave guides (hereafter "service conduits") to supporting structure of aircraft, spacecraft, missiles or other creations where space and weight conservation and reliability maximization are prime concerns.
Spacecraft and aircraft require large numbers of wire bundles and operational tubing for proper operation of their internal systems. Support of the same always entails maximum security against shock and vibration at minimal costs of weight and volume throughout their structure. Conventional system design calls for a variety of secureable, flexible strap elements to be placed around the service conduit and bolted to structure at any convenient support member.
Typical of such conventional elements are those of Design Pat. No. 269,155 to W. T. Rose, U.S. Pat. No. 3,016,441 to A. W. Hackman or U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,113 to H. A. Dvoracheck for clamp means. All of these, and other devices in common use throughout the aerospace field, lack the features of compact design and space saving positive support provided by the within invention. Confined spaces in high performance fighter aircraft demand reliable, secure attachment of wire bundles and hydraulic lines with maximal utilization of limited volumes available. The within unit meets this demand by providing a highly reliable, single piece, triple support clamp with appropriate attachment provisions for securement of the clamp (and so, its conduits) to vehicle structure.
By supporting three service conduits with the unitary clamp, appreciable time and effort are conserved with mounting the single clamp to structure as opposed to the plurality required, one for each service conduit, in conventional systems. Design of the new service clamp is amenable to a variety of sizings and applications variants for different sized conduits while preserving the mounting provisions, (viz. nutplates or bolt holes in vehicle structure) and standardizing final assembly procedures. Accessibility to service conduits is much easier with the new clamp since operating volume space is minimized by the triangular array and access to any of the three service conduits can be achieved without disturbances to clamp mounting bolts or to other nearby conduits.
Discovery of this new clamp was made during research into high performance experimental fighter aircraft and it has been found to be a sound solution to the reliability and space/weight economics demanded by such vehicles.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a highly reliable, space saving service conduit clamp, useable in high vibration, high acceleration environments at economies in manufacture and installation efforts for aerospace vehicles or other confined installations.